Light of the Moon
by Stardustgecko
Summary: Two races have fought upon the world of men for eons past: the Therians who represented the Lord of Life and the Undead who heralded the Lady of Death, throwing the world's natural cycle of life and death off-balance. After millennia of conflict, will the key to ending the struggle and restoring the cycle lie in the hands of four young girls and their forbidden unions?
1. Chapter 1

**[ PROLOGUE ]**

Ozpin put his mug on the glass tabletop. It was a little trinket he obtained from a gift shop in the nearby city. His eyes roved over the words 'City of Vale' and logo of two crossed axes printed on the porcelain in green and a faint smile crawled across his lips. Humans are ingenious creatures, he thought. "Even in the middle of a millenniums-old conflict they aren't aware of but are nonetheless affected by, they still find the strength to build and progress," he said to no one in particular. The clock tower was empty save for him and the only response he gained was the steady clicking of clockwork.

Since the dawn of creation, the forces of light and dark, of life and death have been locked in an endless cycle of conflict with humankind caught in the crossfire. Ozpin leaned back in his chair and recalled the first moments of his waking.

He remembered an unformed world, cold and barren. The god of light had only created him then and gave him the task of making something from the formless ash. With his power and the god's blessing, life sprawled across the surface of Remnant and from the nothingness, the Therians, the first sapient race, rose. The Therians held within their souls a vast reserve of life and so they were attuned to nature. Immortal and possessing the power to change between a human and an animal form at will, they went forth and spread the blessing of life across the barren world.

The god of dark took offense to this however, and in response, he created the power to oppose life itself. With his power, he created a miasma of decay and disease. He created death personified in the form of a witch. With their combined strength, they cursed the world with death and placed a seal on the immortal souls the living, limiting the power of life that coursed within their flesh and dooming them to an eventual end. The Therians affected by the curse lost their affinity to nature and became the first humans - frail beings with short, mortal lives. They wandered the world with little idea of who they are or who they once were.

Because the god of dark's curse lingered in the souls of the living, humankind aged and died, and through the witch's power, the rose again as the Undead. Because of the god of dark's jealousy of his brother's creation, the Undead are cursed to wander the world and never find respite unless someone who knows how puts them down. Deathless, cursed creatures with no lives of their own, the Undead are like parasites. They seek out and consume the life that writhes in humans and Therians either in the form of their souls, blood, or flesh only to sate their endless hunger and sustain their blighted existence.

Thus began the conflict between life and death, the eternal struggle that raged far from the sight of the humans who have forgotten about the existence of heralds of these two forces. For ages, the Therians and Undead fought. One side sought to protect life and creation, while the other sought to subjugate it and turn it into a renewable source of sustenance. The Undead, with their mastery of the magical engine known as Dust, had the upper hand however, and for generations since its discovery, they have succeeded in driving the Therians into hiding. Even now, only a few of the ancients remained, well-hidden from the world, waiting for they day they could turn the tables and spread life back into a dying world.

Ozpin felt a recent change in the air however. The hand of fate was stirring. He had no idea how or why, but he was certain about it. Picking up his coffee mug and his cane, he rose from his seat and looked out the window behind his table. He felt that change was coming, and he felt that it had something to do with one of the last Therian settlements that spread out below him.


	2. Chapter 2

Weiss and Emerald found themselves lost in the forest of Forever Fall. Even worse, they lost track of their hunt.

"Drat." Weiss said. She looked around. Nothing but dark forest and gnarled trees in any direction without even the slightest sign of movement. "We lost it."

Weiss and Emerald set off earlier that night on a hunt for sustenance. While it would have been easier to snatch another hapless human or two off the late night streets and cover it up, Weiss suggested they go for larger game. She itched for a challenge no normal human can pose and Emerald really wasn't in any position to protest. Along the way, they encountered a puma with sleek black fur. She would have ignored it if it didn't leap and attack them first and told them to leave in a human tongue.

They spent around half an hour trading blows with the beast - dodging its razor sharp claws and retaliating at every opening they got. Breaking through its aura proved to be a challenge given that Therians posses a superhuman vitality and excellent physical prowess - something the Undead like Weiss and Emerald did not have much of. The Undead were masters of the magical engine known as dust however, and that leveled the playing field a bit. Emerald's semblance came in handy too as the beast, with all its brawns and lethal animal traits, had nearly no wit and was thus susceptible to mocking and illusions. Weiss felt like she barely had to do anything.

The battle won in their favor and they managed to dissolve the Therian's powerful aura. Wounded, the beast retreated and they gave pursuit deeper into Therian territory, making way for their current dilemma.

"Not sure about that." Emerald leaned down and touched a patch of red on the ground. "Still warm. It can't be far off."

The metallic odor of blood reached Weiss. Even a drop of the glowing crimson fluid pulsed with more life than a human had, and Weiss found herself getting excited. It had been too long since she tasted such potent vital energy. "Where do you think it went?" She asked and Emerald stared at a trail of blood and staggered tracks leading deeper into the undergrowth. Heavy, pained wheezing came from the other side, and a malicious smile crawled upon Weiss's features.

Emerald stood and wiped her fingers on her trousers. "I'll give you three guesses."

"Trying to hide, eh?" Weiss called to the shaking bushes as she dragged the tip of her rapier along the dirt. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not entirely fond of walking through bushes, so…" With a twirl, she plunged her sword into the earth. Streaks of bright red light ran from the revolver hilt, along the blade, and into the ground. Fire erupted in the bushes and burned away the obscuring undergrowth. Weiss gasped in mild shock. No beast lay cowering in the middle of the flames. "Where is it?"

A roar pierced the stunned silence and a beast leaped from the foliage behind them. Fangs bare and claws extended, it pounced on the dirt with finality. Utter confusion flashed across its feline features. It shifted its bewildered gaze to the two girls just as Emerald pointed her gun at the puma and smirked.

"Missed," said Emerald and pulled the trigger. A gunshot and a flash of green light came followed by a pained whine and a splattering sound. The beast lay on the ground in a pool of its own blood, its breathing labored and its black fur marred with red. While Weiss felt a mild pang of disappointment at watching the precious life-charged blood flow towards the ground, she can't help but almost feel sorry for the poor creature as well and wished it weren't in its predicament. Almost.

The puma got to its feet and changed shape. Its fur withdrew into its flesh, its fangs claws dulled into teeth and fingernails. Where a puma lay dying, a broken and battered man bent on the ground on all fours, coughing out more blood. "You made a big mistake, Undead." The Therian laughed. "We're deep in the forest and you lighted a fire. More of us will come."

Weiss looked back to the bushes she ignited and clicked her tongue. Signaling the enemy was an oversight on her part. "Hopefully we'll be long gone before then." Weiss muttered and turned back to her victim. "We came only for you, anyway."

The Therian managed a weak smile, his teeth stained crimson. "If you're going to kill me," he struggled to say, "do it quick."

"No need." Weiss answered as she made her way to the wounded Therian, stepping around the puddles of blood it left. "Dying as you may be, your blood still has power. We won't kill you. Yet." The man's face contorted in abject horror as her sword glowed with a cold, blue light. She touched his neck with her rapier and ice crawled across his flesh, freezing him solid before he even had the chance to call for help. The lifelike ice sculpture glistened in the firelight and Weiss sighed, satisfied with her work.

Emerald kicked the flash-frozen Therian. "You could start an ice sculpture exhibit with this."

"I could," Weiss grinned at the idea. "But I'm not really interested."

Emerald stared at the ice sculpture with a certain hunger in her eyes. "We need to get out of here."

"Agreed. He's clever, bringing us deep into their territory. They'll be upon us soon and I'm almost out of dust." The first attack she launched against the Therian consumed a lot of dust, but with the intent to take it out in one hit. Needless to say that she underestimated its agility and completely missed her shot. She had to spend most of the hunt limiting her use of dust and thanking her better judgment that she didn't bring Mercury along. She would have spent the whole time being mocked too if she had. With a sigh, she fished her scroll out of her pocket and pushed an icon on speed dial. The scroll began ringing.

"To be fair, you're the one who wanted to chase it." Emerald muttered and Weiss shot her a look. In the distance, leaves rustled and wood snapped. Bushes parted and trees swayed to an invisible breeze. Emerald shuddered. "Do you hear that?"

Weiss nodded as a wolf howled in the distance. "They've found us. Come on, pick up, pick up…" The ringing abruptly stopped and a moment later, as if the fabric of reality had been ripped open, a portal leading into a black and red abyss materialized before them. Weiss stepped in. "Can you bring that through? Thanks." She pointed at the Therian as she passed through the portal.

Emerald rolled her eyes. "As you command, _princess_." Grunting, she wrapped the chains of her weapons around the frozen Therian and dragged it into the darkness.

* * *

A strange odor reached Ruby's nostrils and she stopped in her tracks, her head turning in all directions trying to locate the source of the smell.

"Something wrong?" Velvet asked.

"Nothing." Ruby answered. "I can just smell something."

"Really? I can't smell anything."

Ruby sniffed the air and picked up on the crisp odor of burning leaves and wood. "Smells like fire."

"Campers?"

"I dunno." She got a lock on the odor and turned her head towards the direction it came from. "It's from there." A small yellow-orange light glowed in the distance, an ember in the forest's darkness.

"Hold on, let me take a look." Velvet traced a pair of binoculars in the air with a dim blue light and peered through. "It's not humans," she gasped. "The forest is on fire!"

"Seriously?" Ruby said and began making her way to the distant firelight. "I'll go ahead! You get help!"

"Ruby, wait!" Velvet shouted but Ruby dared not wait. The fire could grow with each passing second. Putting more vigor into her sprint, the world passed her by in a blur. A vortex of air swirled around her as she ran at top speed, kicking up the red leaves that littered the forest floor and leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake. The dense undergrowth parted before her, and the winds that trailed behind her rustled the trees at her sides.

As she made her way to the fire, a new scent reached her. She stopped and sniffed the air, trying to capture more of the smell. Her nose scrunched in distaste. She detected the faint trace of the metallic odor of blood and something else. Something long dead and unwelcome in a forest full of life. Light and rapid footfall came from behind her and she turned around, her pointed teeth bared. A brown rabbit hopped up to her and in a fluid sequence, it leaped into the air, changed into a humanoid form, and landed gracefully beside Ruby. Velvet drummed her fingers on the box hanging from her waist, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Oh." Ruby grinned and tried not to look intimidating. "Hi, Velvet."

"Don't just run off like that." Velvet crossed her arms. "You stopped."

"Yeah. There's something else here." Ruby answered and turned towards the fire. "Something unnatural."

"Unnatural?" Velvet's long rabbit ears twitched and her gaze snapped towards the fire. "You're right. There's something there."

"I'm going to fight them." Ruby said with enthusiasm as her teeth sharpened into fangs.

"Ruby, no. Don't be too aggressive, we have no idea what's there. We should just investigate." Velvet turned back into a rabbit and scurried through the undergrowth. Ruby followed suit, shifting forms and turning into a black wolf and stalking the shadows. She relied on years of stealth training, keeping her feet light and stepping around anything that can snap and make a sound. They moved towards the fire with quiet haste, careful not to give away their positions.

At least that was until Velvet shrieked.

"Velvet!" Ruby called in a hush voice. "I thought we were being stealthy!"

"I'm sorry. It's just…" Velvet raised a paw up to Ruby. A thick, red fluid coated it, drops falling to a puddle on the ground. "I stepped on something."

Ruby sniffed it and the putrid smell of iron assailed her nose. "Blood."

Velvet looked like she would have went pale if she were in her human form. She lowered her gaze to the puddle she stepped on and discovered more leading deeper into the forest towards the fire. Staggered tracks appeared in the dirt beside the drops of blood. "But humans don't hunt here anymore. Are there predators in this area?"

"These tracks were made by one." Ruby answered upon further inspection of the prints. They belonged to a large feline. She found something else on the dirt, however: strands of black hair and humanoid hand prints beside the animal tracks. A dark realization dawned upon Ruby and her jaw fell slack. "It's one of us!" She threw her head back and let loose a long howl - a signal to her people in the village. Picking up Velvet and putting the bunny on her back, she raced towards the fire at top speed, following the tracks and steeling her nerves.

"Slow down!" Velvet cried. Ruby could tell the rabbit tried her hardest to hold on.

"No can do, Vel!" She answered while Velvet screamed. "Wait, do you hear that?"

"Conversation." Ruby slowed to a halt so as not to throw the bunny off her back. "Two people. Over there." Ruby padded over to a set of bushes and peered through. She saw a small clearing surrounded by the same black-wooded trees that populated the forest. A fire raged to the side, reducing leaves and low-growing trees to ash. The scent of blood hung heavier here, mingled with the smoky odor of burning foliage. In the middle of a clearing, two figures stood: both girls, one with stark white hair tied in a side ponytail, and another with short, pastel-green hair. Both of them emanated the aura unique to abominations beyond the cycle of life and death - an offense to the living energy that coursed through the forest of Forever Fall. One of them had a scroll in her hand while the other wrapped chains around a third figure entombed in ice.

Ruby recognized the figure - a man with clean-cut hair and prominent sideburns. "Tukson?" Ruby muttered in disbelief. Her jaw fell slack. The once-proud Therian now lay there beaten, his face frozen in a shout of desperation and fear. Red stained his tattered clothes and wounds sealed with frozen blood dominated his sides. Red filled her vision. She lowered herself to the ground, putting her force into her hind legs and baring her fangs. She snarled.

"Ruby, wait." Velvet whispered. "Look." A portal opened in the clearing before the two girls leading into darkness. The white-haired Undead stepped in first, twirling a finger at Tukson's frozen body and giving a command to the other. The green-haired girl grunted in response and dragged Tukson into the darkness, never to be seen again. The portal closed behind them and only silence remained in the clearing, broken only by the crackling flame.

The two stepped out of hiding and assumed their human forms. A large puddle of half-frozen blood lay in the corner of the clearing and in the middle, a small gouge in the dirt glinted with small, red crystals. Ruby fell to the ground and buried her face in her hands. She didn't know much about the book vendor. She'd only met him a few times because she'd cross into his store in the village and gloss over his selection of human books and magazines, but the few times she did talk to him were enough for her to conclude he's a nice person. "Ruby?" Velvet placed a gentle hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"I'm fine." She answered. A half-truth. Tukson and her weren't particularly close at all, but he lived in the Therian settlement with them, a tight-knit community. she felt a pang of guilt and loss regardless. "We'll get them next time. But right now, we have to do something about the fire. Then we go and tell the others."

* * *

 **On the off-chance any of you recognize this as ExiXIII's Blood Moon, it is. But first let me explain before you all cry plagiarism. He asked me to finish this for him because he might not be able to finish it. He finished rewriting only three chapters before he passed the story outline with a new title to me December last year (he's a perfectionist and had incredibly hectic academic semester plus some mental health issues. That's why he's slow on writing and felt like he had to rewrite everything.) I only got word a week after the New Year that he died last December.  
**

 **So I'll be writing this fanfic in his place. He forgot to give me his login (and I forgot to ask,) so I started an FF account. Anyway, I'm Stardustgecko and this is Light of the Moon!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

All Ruby had to bring back from the scene was a bloodied handkerchief.

A few moments after the two Undead girls disappeared with Tukson, the flames that burned near the scene grew large enough to threaten the forest. Ruby planned to run around the fire at super speed and create a vortex of air that would have suffocated it, except it was too hot and too strong for her. Fortunately, team SSSN arrived with a carriage full of water and buckets. Sun's clones and Scarlet's skill with a grappling hook proved consequential in quelling the inferno that raged both on the leaf-littered ground and the verdant canopy.

After a brief and somewhat rushed explanation of the events that transpired, Sun and his team escorted Ruby and Velvet back to their settlement in case more Undead lurked in the dark. Sun and Neptune did the entire bodyguard gig with a bit too much enthusiasm. They even shouted 'Freeze!' and readied their weapons every time something rustled the undergrowth. The way home was clear and a sense of relief filled her when she set foot within the boundaries of the Therian settlement.

The same wasn't the case for her father.

"Ruby!" Taiyang rushed to Ruby and grabbed her in a bear hug that lifted her off the ground just as Coco snatched Velvet away by the wrist and dragged her back to Fox and Yatsuhashi, who waited under a tree.

"Dad," Ruby managed to squeak out. "Ribs."

"Sorry." Taiyang let go and held Ruby at arm's length, scanning his daughter with a heavy look of concern on his features. Only then did Ruby realize that firefighting left her sweaty and covered in ash and soot. At one point, Neptune, in his hesitance to handle so much water, missed a burning tree branch with a bucket of water and instead splashed it on Ruby, which also left her soaking wet. Red stained her fingers from when she retrieved a piece of cloth sticking out of a pool of blood. She looked like she just crawled out of hell. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, dad."

Taiyang didn't buy it and continued inspecting Ruby for any signs of injury. He sighed a moment later, satisfied, and let Ruby go. "Sorry. It's just that we saw smoke from your direction so we sent SSSN to deal with the fire when you didn't come rushing back. Thank you for dealing with the fire, by the way," he nodded at SSSN and Neptune made finger guns at him coupled with one of his signature 'cool dude' grins in response.

"Yeah, we're awe-"

Sun elbowed his side hard, cutting Neptune off before he even finished his sentence. "Just doing our job, sir." He shot Neptune a look, which silenced any hope of retaliation and acted as an unspoken signal for them to leave the scene.

"What caused it anyway? Couldn't have been a random wildfire. Humans?"

Ruby took out the handkerchief she found from the scene and passed it to her father. It was a simple, white square of cloth with a blue border and a snowflake on one corner. All sorts of scents mingled on the fabric: the metallic tang of blood, the burnt odor of smoke, the unmistakable stench of the deathless, faint traces of laundry detergent, and an even fainter aroma of some luxurious cologne almost completely masked by the other odors. Ruby didn't know why, but she kind of liked that last one. It smelled like the snow of an early winter morning with a hint of fresh apples. Sometimes Ruby surprised herself with just how acute her sense of smell was.

Taiyang took the cloth square with a puzzled yet scrutinizing gaze. "The blood. Smells like one of ours?"

"It's Tukson. He was taken by two Undead and they might have caused the fire too." Ruby recalled what she saw in the forest. Now that she thought about it, she figured that the handkerchief might have belonged to the girl with the white hair and icy blue dress. She and the handkerchief both had the sharp scent of cold air - and apples for some reason - around them. The green-haired girl beside her looked inconspicuous enough and looked like she was only following orders, so Ruby assumed she was just another grunt. Then she remembered how they vanished into thin air, dragging Tukson's frozen body along. "I was going to chase them, but they left through this portal thing and-"

"Whoa, whoa," a tired voice came from behind Taiyang and a man spiky salt-and-pepper hair and red eyes that looked just as tired stepped into view. The odor of alcohol hung around him at all times, even while sober. He twisted the cap onto the silver flask in his hand and hid it in his shirt pocket. "Slow down, kid. You might run out of breath."

"But uncle Qrow-

"It's urgent, I know, I know. But listen," Qrow took the handkerchief from Taiyang and folded it into a neat square. "We should tell Oz and the others about this before we make a fuzz of it around the village. They'll know what to do."

"So let's go tell them now!" Ruby tried to get past Qrow and her father, but her uncle grabbed her by the hood on her cape and dragged her back without any effort. She tried to break free and drag her uncle with her, but Qrow stood his ground while Ruby just flailed her arms and legs.

"You look like you crawled out of a pit. I'll tell 'em. In the meantime, you get yourself cleaned up and fed. Tai here might have a heart attack if you stay like that for another minute."

Ruby shot a glance at her father. He looked annoyed at Qrow's remarks, but he didn't deny it either. She wanted to protest too, but then she became aware of the heavy odor of smoke and sweat around her and the rumbling of her stomach when Qrow mentioned food. Running across the forest at top speed and throwing buckets full of water at burning trees worked up an appetite, and the smell of wood smoke that clung to her reminded her of barbecue, which didn't help at all. Since the adrenaline rush she had earlier had already subsided, a sense of fatigue washed over her and she knew how pointless it would be to try and resist while tired and starving.

She slumped and surrendered. "Okay." Qrow let go of her hood and Taiyang took her wrist. She watched Qrow hide the handkerchief in his pocket and walk towards the clock tower in the middle of the settlement as if he didn't have a single care in the world. She moved her gaze to one of the buildings in the street - a wide, stone brick building with massive windows that bared the books within it to anyone who might be interested in taking one home. She sighed. Who would maintain Tukson's business for him? What would happen to the collection of books in there? Will they simply be left to rot and gather dust for who knows how long?

She chose not to dwell on it and let her father lead her home.

* * *

At a cozy sixteen degrees Celsius, the cold air of Schnee Manor was a comforting chill, even more so now that Weiss just came from a burning forest. She would compare it to the feeling one gets when walking into a mall after spending time under the hot summer sun, except she wasn't really familiar with it. She seldom goes out to do her own shopping and she never takes walks in the day during summer. Sunlight would reduce her to ashes in an instant.

Standing in the chilly air and watching Emerald pull a block of ice through the portal made her realize just how hot it was on the other side though. Clumps of white hair clung to her sweaty forehead and her nape was drenched. Being deathless, she possessed weaknesses to many things with fire being a notable example. In hindsight, starting a fire in a dense forest wasn't a good idea. She reached for her sash, only to find out her handkerchief was missing. She must have dropped it at some point of the encounter.

"You look like you girls had fun." Weiss turned to see a blonde girl walking up to them with a smile and a hand raised in greeting. Yang kept her red and lilac eyes on Weiss and the sweat that rolled down her face. Weiss felt a mild heat creep up her ears under the taller girl's scrutiny. "You look bad." Yang handed Weiss a yellow handkerchief from her coat pocket and pointed her chin at Emerald. "And you look worse."

"Thanks," Emerald said with a sarcastic laugh. She had finished pulling the frozen Therian through and had collapsed on the floor next to it. The portal vanished an instant later and she rapped a knuckle on the block of ice. "He's heavier than I thought."

"Lucky nothing else went through." Yang kicked the frozen Therian and a loud clunk resonated in the empty entryway. "You thinking of doing some redecorating?"

Weiss wiped the sweat from her brow and neck and moved her gaze over her trophy. Its face was frozen caught in the middle of an agonized scream. Red mingled with the white frost that crept along its body. To Weiss, it resembled something taken fresh from a meat locker than an avant-garde piece to be displayed in the foyer. "Not exactly my kind of art."

"Too much screaming," Yang agreed. "So, what do you plan to do with the human popsicle here?"

" _Therian_ popsicle," Weiss correct with a matter-of-fact tone. She was still proud about her successful Therian hunt and she wouldn't let anyone mistake her trophy for some unlucky human she plucked off the streets and put on ice. Giving it stab wounds would be unnecessary if just taking it and leaving was a piece of cake. "I'm hungry and its blood sings with life. You wouldn't happen to have a syringe around, would you?"

"You went Therian hunting and you didn't bring me along? You know I'm your bodyguard, right?" Yang produced a syringe from her pocket handed it to Weiss.

"You might have just killed it outright. You know I can't drink dead blood," said Weiss as she stuck the needle into the Therian's arm and pulled the plunger back. The plastic barrel took on a faint red glow as chilled Therian blood filled it. Even through a layer of plastic, Weiss could feel the vital energy that sloshed within the syringe. She capped the needle and put the blood sample in a pouch hanging from her sash.

Yang shrugged. "Fair point. But you still should've told me."

"In any case," Weiss looked at the frozen Therian. Emerald hadn't gotten up from the floor and continued drawing long, deep breaths. "Emerald's going to need help taking that to the freezer."

Emerald looked at Weiss as if to say _please tell me you're joking_. "I was joking, Em. Don't look at me like that." Weiss laughed as Emerald sighed and went back to her shallow breathing. "But please bring that to the freezer, Yang."

"Sure. I'll be glad to lend a hand." Yang answered and pulled off her left hand with a loud pop. She then tossed it at Emerald.

"Please don't do that." Disgust flashed on Emerald's face as she picked up the disembodied hand and threw it back to Yang.

"Why did the doctor even give you that piece of your brain?" Weiss sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I dunno, but I'm sure he had a good…" Yang landed a sharp hit on the back of her skull and her left eye popped out of its socket. A single lilac eyeball stared at Weiss from Yang's palm. Weiss felt like she was going to throw up. She would have too, if she weren't standing on a big, expensive carpet that took ages to clean. " _Eye_ for parts!"

"Put that back!" Weiss yelled. Yang laughed as she put her eye back in its socket. "Remember to bring the Therian to the freezer later." Weiss added and looked at Emerald, who lay on the floor unconscious. She must have fainted. "Take Emerald back to her room too."

"Got it, princess." Yang picked up Emerald without effort and slung the fainted girl over her shoulder. She then grabbed the chains wrapped around the ice block and tugged on it. "It's almost sunrise. You going to bed?"

"After a couple of things, yes." Weiss began climbing the stairs and waved a hand at Yang in farewell. "Good night, Yang."

"It's almost 6 AM."

"Whatever."

With a chuckle, Yang dragged the ice block past the foyer and Weiss continued her trip up the stairs, across the empty second floor hallway, and into her room. Like everything else in the house, her room had a pleasing white and blue color scheme. A queen-sized bed occupied one side of the room with the vanity and bookshelves standing across the room. Beyond the window opposite the door, the star-studded night sky began to fade to a light blue. Weiss drew the heavy curtains to block out the world beyond and the imminent sunrise. She had no intentions of burning in her sleep.

With a sigh, she filled the empty glass on her nightstand with the blood from the syringe, wondering what to do about her blonde, Frankenstein's Monster-esque bodyguard and her terrible sense of humor. She eyed the yellow handkerchief that she forgot to give back. At least Yang had a bit of a sisterly streak.

As she drank the sweet crimson fluid as if it were a glass of warm milk she took before bed, she remembered the presence she felt in the forest moments before she crossed through the portal. She shot a glance towards its direction then and found a wolf hiding in the bushes. It would have blended with the shadows well with its black fur, but the dull red streak that ran along its side and its shins more than made its presence obvious. She remembered being studied by its intelligent, silver gaze as if it was waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

Weiss wondered why it didn't. She knew there were two of them hiding in the bushes. It would have made for a fair two-on-two. Emerald had her weapons wrapped around a block of ice. She was out of dust, which would have limited her offensive capabilities. The Therians had the advantage, but neither of them took it.

Changing out of her white and blue dress ad into a snow-white nightgown, she decided to neither dwell on it too much nor question her luck. She lay on her bed and sank into the soft mattress. Before she even knew it, her eyes fell shut and she drifted into sleep, where the same black-and-red wolf pranced about in her dreams.

* * *

Qrow tossed the bloody cloth on the table full of moving gears and springs for the council to see.

"A handkerchief?" Glynda prodded it with her riding crop as if she expected it to jump up at them and eat their faces off. With a flick of her wrist, she lifted the cloth into the air through her telekinesis so the blood doesn't stain the glass surface.

"Ah, but it carries the stench of undeath!" Oobleck announced as if he had another 'Eureka!' moment. He took a large swig from his dull green thermos and shuddered. Qrow thought that Bartholomew drank way too much coffee for his own good, but he really wasn't in any position to judge, especially if he himself just took several sips of whiskey from his flask.

"Where did you find this?" Port looked at Qrow and raised a bushy eyebrow.

"I didn't. Ruby did." Qrow answered and took another swig of alcohol. "She said she found two Undead in the forest. They caused the fire and took Tukson."

Glynda paled. "Then the blood…"

"Yeah. Went there to check myself. Found this." He tossed a broken claw onto the table. The shape told it came from a predatory cat and the glittering red dust on it along with the snowflake on the handkerchief cemented everyone's fears. Looks of horror crossed his three colleague's faces: Glynda's eyes widened in shock, Oobleck's jaw fell slack, and Port's eyebrows shot up in surprise. They all exchanged glances, sharing one unspoken thought: the Schnee clan.

"Did Miss Rose say more?" Oobleck asked. He seemed to have forgotten about his thermos by now.

"She said they left through a portal."

"She's defected," Port said. "This is bad."

"Relax. She won't open portals here. It's also possible she's still working in her own interests."

"What assurance have you about that?" Oobleck asked.

"Raven's anything but stupid."

"So what should we do now?" Glynda asked.

"Now, we get as many eyes into the forest as possible without risking our numbers," said the man seated on the chair behind the table as he turned around to face the others. He had white hair and bespectacled green eyes that matched his coat. Leaning against his chair was a wooden cane with a silver handle and a metal ball on the top. "Qrow, I'm asking you to train and send patrols to look for Undead presence in the forest and deal with it if able."

"Are we preparing for a war?" Qrow asked.

"No," Ozpin leaned forward and steepled his fingers. "We're just mounting a defense."

* * *

 **In hindsight, I should've edited the first chapter a bit. Too late for regrets now. Oh, also, if in case you guys haven't noticed, I added a prologue before the first chapter. Just didn't feel complete without one. It wasn't in the files given to me, so I made one. Sorry. Kinda new to the whole posting thing.**

 **-SG**


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